On April 17, 2013, the symposium entitled “Current Situation and the Future of Intellectual Property Cases and Patent Systems in the United States and Japan” hosted by the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property of Japan (AIPPI JAPAN) was held. Chief Judge of the IP High Court Toshiaki Iimura participated in this symposium.
Chief Judge Randall R. Rader (of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit), Judge Richard Linn (of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit), the Honorable David J. Kappos (former Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office), the Honorable Robert L. Stoll (former Commissioner for Patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office), and Prof. Harold C. Wegner (U.S. attorney and formerly a professor at George Washington University) also participated in this seminar.
The participants spoke on the following subjects.

• (1) Speaker: Chief Judge Randall R. Rader
  Subject: Role of the Federal Circuit as the Exclusive Appellate Court for Patents
• (2) Speaker: Chief Judge Toshiaki Iimura
  Subject: Patent Eligibility in Japan
• (3) Speaker: Judge Richard Linn
  Subject: The Federal Circuit - Supreme Court Interface
• (4) Speaker: The Honorable David J. Kappos
  Subject: The AIA After 18 Months of Implementation
• (5) Speaker: The Honorable Robert L. Stoll
  Subject: Patent Trial and Appeal Board Case Law - Changes in Patent Practice
• (6) Speaker: Prof. Harold C. Wegner
  Subject: Supreme Court Review of Federal Circuit Patent Law

Chief Judge Iimura explained the current situation in relation to patentability in Japan while making reference to court decisions rendered to date. After the speech, he participated in a panel discussion with the speakers from the U.S. and introduced the audience to the current situation with regard to IP cases in Japan.